TWO local entrepreneurs who earlier this year set out to shake up the car leasing market have now turned their attention to health and safety.

Mark Hall and Jonny Ratcliffe, both from Ilkley, have launched a new health and safety and employment law consultancy, Protecting.co.uk, in a bid to simplify the minefield of British business law.

They say that up to 80 per cent of small businesses do not currently comply with health and safety employment legislation due to confusion over the law or due to cost.

Mark and Jonny said they would offer free advice and jargon-free services to thousands of businesses that are currently ‘winging’ their health and safety policies.

Mark Hall said: “We’re bringing a much-overdue no-nonsense approach to the industry. Too many businesses are put off by confusing pricing structures and advice they simply don’t understand. It’s time somebody cut through all the noise and put the customer back in control.”

They said preliminary market research found a majority of small businesses were unaware they did not comply with health and safety codes.

Jonny Ratcliffe added: “Everybody knows they should be on top of it , but too much jargon and not enough free advice is leaving people with the wrong thing, or with no cover at all.”

Protecting.co.uk has been launched with six National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health-accredited staff to meet the perceived demand for cheaper and clearer advice.

Mr Hall said the business was looking to double its head count within the first six months.

In April, Mark and Jonny launched the Flexed.co.uk car leasing business offering transparent pricing. They said the business was now leasing 100 cars a month and could saveUK companies up to £150 million a year.

Mark added: “We offered a service that had no hidden costs and straight, honest advice.”

Mr Hall’s father Anthony Hall was the founder of Legal Personalised Management Services which was the largest health and safety law consultancy in the UK with 125 staff when the business was sold to Croner Consulting around ten years ago.

“We’re going to prove that health and safety law is neither difficult nor expensive. Protecting.co.uk is going to be the company that gives this industry a good shaking up,” said Mark.